Not Applicable.
The present invention is generally directed to a hanging shoe rack, and is more particularly directed to a number of embodiments for shoe racks that hang from, or are positioned on, the back of the door or on another upright surface.
Hanging shoe racks are well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,073, entitled xe2x80x9cHanging Shoe Rackxe2x80x9d, is directed to a hanging shoe rack having a pair of plastic side frame members, and a plurality of support bars positioned between the side frame members on which shoes may be supported. The present invention is directed to such a product, albeit with different features. U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,073 is incorporated by reference, in its entirety, herein.
In particular, the shoe rack set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,073 includes first and second plastic side frame members. Each side frame member has as vertical member having a plurality of support arms extending outwardly and downwardly therefrom. The product has a plurality of shoe retaining bars. The shoe retaining bars are oriented in pairs, with each pair of bars aligned in a plane forming an acute angle with respect to the vertical surface on which the shoe rack is positioned. In this regard, one bar of each pair is positioned at outward ends of respective arms, while the other shoe retaining bar of the pair is positioned between the vertical members of the respective side frame members.
As illustrated best in FIG. 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,073, the vertical members of the plastic side frame members are preferably spatially removed from the upright surface or door, due to the presence of leg members at upper and lower portions of the side frame members. Hangers, or brackets, are positioned over the door and receive foot members extending downwardly from leg members, as clearly illustrated and described in the ""073 patent. As illustrated and described, when the hanging shoe rack product is positioned on an upright surface, the vertical members and outwardly and downwardly depending arms serve as lateral barriers to retain the shoes on the shoe rack.
Each embodiment of the present invention is directed to a shoe rack for mounting to an upright surface, or for hanging over a door. Each embodiment of the present invention employs two plastic side frame members, and a plurality of shoe retaining bars positioned between the side frame members, upon which shoes, boxes, and the like may be supported. However, each embodiment of the present invention incorporates different features, resulting in improved structural integrity over the prior art and/or resulting in a product that is less expensive to manufacture and/or resulting in a product which retains shoes on the shoe rack in a different, or better, manner.